Cinderella Trail Run
Oakland, CA
- 50K, Marathon, 30K, Half Marathon, 8K, Kids Run
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The course travels through beautiful Joaquin Miller & Redwood Regional parks. You’ll wind through tall redwoods along popular Sequoia-Bayview and French trails. Then, come back to the finish down the very technical Cinderella trail. Some runners call it the “Wicked Step Sisters” trail. Fully-stocked aid stations every 3 – 6 … MORE
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I came and conquered
It was not a piece cake the challenged was complete. For my first ultra trail run 50k I feel awesome. The beast hills their unforgiving to test your limits but … MORE
It was not a piece cake the challenged was complete. For my first ultra trail run 50k I feel awesome. The beast hills their unforgiving to test your limits but if i don’t try how I’m testing my limits I would never know if would of completed.
Tough but beautiful!
I ran the 10K as my first trail race in 2012, but I forgot how tough and technical this course was! My slowest half marathon by far. Coastal did a … MORE
I ran the 10K as my first trail race in 2012, but I forgot how tough and technical this course was! My slowest half marathon by far. Coastal did a fine job, as usual, with race logistics. I skipped the tshirt to save $5. The terrain was highly variable: everything from relatively level, easily runnable trail, to slippery, rocky single track. I did get a rock in my shoe at some point, so maybe gaiters would have been good.
Advice for other runners: This is a challenging course — the ascents are steep and lung busting, and the descents are treacherous. I was glad to be running “just” the half marathon. I wouldn’t want to run two loops of this course like the full marathon and 50K runners did! Register to run pretty and tough trails, not for a fast time.
Technical course, well-produced
This is my 3rd or 4th Brazen race, and they always put on a nice event. Parking was easy and near the start, but if you wanted to leave a … MORE
This is my 3rd or 4th Brazen race, and they always put on a nice event. Parking was easy and near the start, but if you wanted to leave a bag next to the start line, the volunteers will watch it. Aid stations well-stocked with food and happy volunteers. Course was more technical than I expected! Rooty and rocky in some places, which made for slow downhills, but also made for a feeling of accomplishment at the finish,
Highly recommended!
Stunning scenery, friendly people, good food, and cold beer - what more can a girl ask for?! This course alternates between quiet forests of magnificent, towering redwoods and sun-dappled oak … MORE
Stunning scenery, friendly people, good food, and cold beer – what more can a girl ask for?! This course alternates between quiet forests of magnificent, towering redwoods and sun-dappled oak woodlands filled with bird song. The short sections of exposed chaparral last only long enough to reinforce one’s appreciation of the deep, cool forest shade. The trail itself is a mix of single and double track, sometimes covered in a wonderfully soft layer of redwood needles, sometimes rocky, sometimes comprised entirely of sandstone slab, but almost always filled with enough obstacles to keep you on your toes. (Or, as in my case, rolling head over heels in my first trail fall.) The hills were challenging, but not inhumane. There were substantial stretches of fairly flat single track punctuated by steep ascents that most of us in the mid-pack opted to hike. Initially, I was not excited that the 30k route required passing through the finish area and doubling back along a portion of the half marathon course; however, this route was so fantastic that when I reached the finish area I actually looked forward to heading back out.
This event was very organized as well. I arrived 30 minutes prior to the start at which point it appeared the parking lot was full, but there was still plenty of adjacent street parking. Packet pick-up was a breeze and included a cute shirt that I will actually wear. Bathroom facilities were sufficient, though hand-washing stations would have been appreciated. The route was very well-marked and there were plenty of well-stocked and well-staffed aide stations. Soda, candy, sandwiches, and potatoes were offered alongside the standard fare of electrolyte drinks and gels. The volunteers were exceptionally enthusiastic and encouraging.
This was a relatively small trail race of less than 300 runners, and the majority of people chose the shorter distances. So as expected, there was really no crowd support and the 30k finish was rather quiet; however, there were still plenty of cheers from volunteers and fellow runners alike and most importantly – plenty of goodies left at the finish. The last time I ran with Coastal there were no finisher’s medals and I don’t recall anything more than fruit at the finish line. I was pleasantly surprised that this race included a great medal as well as a good selection of post-race food and drink. I greatly enjoyed the sausage hot off the BBQ and fresh, juicy watermelon. There were coolers stocked with plenty of cold soda and beer. I lingered at the finish line for more than an hour and left knowing I would surely be back to run this race again.
Beautiful Trees; Tough Downhill
Event & Course Description: There are races especially or particularly for women. While “Cinderella Trail Run” might suggest it is such a race, it is not. It is named for … MORE
Event & Course Description:
There are races especially or particularly for women. While “Cinderella Trail Run” might suggest it is such a race, it is not. It is named for the Cinderella Trail which is part of the course. And this Cinderella is a … about a mile of very steep and technical downhill. Ankles beware!
Backing up a bit, Coastal Trail Run’s (CTR) Cinderella Trail Run has 5 distances – 5 miles, half marathon, 30K, marathon, and 50K. The courses are based on two loops with a connector between them. I did the 5 mile distance, which is the first loop plus the connector as an out-and-back. The course was hilly, had lots of trees (redwoods, other evergreens, and eucalypti in particular), very fragrant, and generally beautiful. There were a couple of overlooks where one could see much of San Francisco Bay, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. As always, Coastal marked the course very clearly, I’d guesstimate it was 90% or more shaded, and there were parts of the course that were definitely technical – rocks, roots, and ruts (Oh my!).
Organization & Production:
The San Francisco Bay Area has several really excellent organizers of trail races, and Coastal is one of them. Wanting to check out certain venues, timing, and personal miscellany has lead to my doing 4 CTR races this year (with more likely), so I say that based on some experience.
Coastal provides a smooth, excellent race experience. The information on the website is very complete, and registration is easy. Check-in was smooth. The course was very well marked, including don’t-go-here flags where runners could go off-course. The 5 mile turn-around was also an aid station used by all distances, and it was well stocked with water and Clif Shot Electrolyte drink, and both sugary and salty snacks. The friendly volunteers topped off my water bottle and I grabbed some trail mix (sugar, salt, protein). The finish area food was even more plentiful, and the ice chest included beer as well as bottled water.
As I’ve said before, Coastal organizes its races from checking it out online through leaving the parking lot post-race so well that runners just need to worry about getting there and doing their race. Coastal races are low cost, and generally don’t include park entry. HOWEVER, like the previous Coastal Race I did, Grizzly Peak, there was no park entry fee for the Cinderella Trail Run. As such things go, getting to the Cinderella Trail Run was one of the easier (easiest?) of the races I’ve done. Once you get on the SR 13 freeway, you take the Joaquin Miller Road exit, drive about a mile, and then turn left into the park.
Swag:
Bib: CTR’s bibs are plain white, with the bib number and CTR’s logos and motto.
T-Shirt: CTR gives out tech Tees for runners of all distance. Mine is black, though I saw others that were bright chartreuse. At the center of the front is a spray of wildflowers and ferns (literally true, a runner will see these). Above in pink letters is the name of the race, and flowing beneath are the distances and date. On the back are CTR’s and sponsors’ logos. It’s a very attractive race T-shirt, probably among my favorites.
Finisher’s Medal: The finisher’s medal has the same graphics and wording as the race Tee, except for lacking the race date. The ribbon is sky blue, with “2017” running along it in sunshine yellow. The medallion is heavy, silver-colored, with a wire-brushed finish. It doesn’t grab you by the collar and smack you in the face with how nice it is, but it’s a very very nice finisher’s medal!
Besides being DLF for the 5 mile distance, I also was second place in the old goats age group (not what CTR calls it). CTR does age group medals, and the second place medal is bright silver with a wave pattern background. In the center is Coastal Trail Runs’ name and logo.
My Results & Opinion of the Race:
I had three tiers of goals: at least, I wanted to finish, still vertical; I hoped to finish under 2:30; finishing under 2:00 was something I would have liked to do, but wasn’t sure was realistic. It’s a challenging course,and that’s where I’m at right now. I focused on finishing and doing as well as I could. It was less than 5 or 10 minutes before finishing that I actually looked at my watch. Finishing (just) under 2 hours was a pleasant mild surprise.
I’ve mentioned before in Raves about Coastal Trail Runs’ races that they are low cost, and they are that. You could do 5 Coastal half marathons for the cost of two Rock ‘n’ Roll halfs. And unless you love races with 15K-25K runners, large crowds, and cityscapes, the parks, trails and overall experience of CTR’s races are much nicer, in my opinion. BUT, Coastal Trail Runs races are not budget race experiences, low price notwithstanding! When I consider a Coastal race, whether they will organize it well is not something I worry about. I know they do and will.
I would definitely consider doing the Cinderella Trail Run again, and the half marathon distance looks like a profile I could be ready to take on next year. That’s a decision for next year. For now, I have my eyes on a late June Coastal Trail Runs race in Santa Cruz.
Challenging hilly course
Race is in Oakland Hills. Trail Course. Challenging up and down hills. Well stocked aid stations. This race is a personal favorite. The course has tripped me two years out … MORE
Race is in Oakland Hills. Trail Course.
Challenging up and down hills.
Well stocked aid stations.
This race is a personal favorite. The course has tripped me two years out of 3 now…. I’ll be back.
Part of the Coastal Trail Running Series.